Christopher Barker

After much contemplation, I believe the consensus of around 3 stars is accurate. Pokémon deserves better, but this is still the beloved Pokémon. The pocket monsters still have love put into them. Elements of the story (the fact there’s 3 paths), a handful of characters, the new battle mechanic: all make for a fun, yet familiar experience. And familiar isn’t always bad. Sadly, the taste has become bland. This has been stated many times and much better, but the progress of the Pokémon game franchise is disappointing. This game feels dated and incomplete. The experience of a game frequently freezing or shutting off, and then losing the progress after the last save file should have been left behind in the 90s GBC. And this game does nothing ground breaking that Arceus hasn’t already done. All in all, I have enjoyed the first play through; it’s just a shame that Mario and Zelda continue to wow their fan base, and the only excitement coming from Pokémon boils down to the next Pikachu, Lucario, and starters of the generation, nothing about gameplay.